US judge: Relatives of 9/11 victims can’t get DAB funds

KABUL (Pajhwok): Relatives of victims of the 9/11 (2001 terrorist attacks are not eligible for receiving funds from Da Afghanistan Bank, a New York federal judge has ruled.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Judge George B. Daniels of the Southern District rejected the attempt by victims’ relatives to seize $3.5 billion in frozen DAB assets.

Federal courts did not have legal jurisdiction to seize the assets, Daniels argued, saying awarding them to the families would be unconstitutional.

Such a move would mean effectively recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the judge wrote in a 30-page verdict.

The victims’ families and insurance firms could collect on their default judgments and be made whole for the worst terrorist attack in America’s history, he said, explaining they could not do so with DAB funds.

According to The New York Times, the ruling by Daniels adopted the recommendation of Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn, who evaluated the issue last August. The report found the families were not entitled to the funds, leaving the verdict to Daniel.

In February, President Joe Biden blocked the DAB reserves, setting aside half of them to be spent on helping the Afghans and leaving the remaining $3.5 billion for the victims’ families.

Arash Azizada, co-founder of the Afghans For a Better Tomorrow, hailed the verdict in a statement sent to Al Jazeera. “Justice will not be served by raiding the coffers of a people suffering from one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet,” he commented.

PAN Monitor/mud